Suction-cleaner



H. E. HOOVER. 'sucTloN CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 6, 1919.

, 1,336,078'. Patented Apr. 6,'1'920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET ll ATa/6771507 H. E. HOUVER.

SUCTION CLEANER.

APPLICATION FlLED 1AN.6,1919.

1,336,078. Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- zupon a pin B4 on the casing.

IINI'IEI) STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOWARD EARL HOOVER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO 'IIIIE HOOVER ,SUCTION SWEEPER COMPANY, OF NORTH CANTON, OHIO, A. CORPORATION OF OHIO` sUcTIoN-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

Application filed January 6, 1919. Serial No. 263,788.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD EARL Hoovnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Suction-Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in suction cleaners and more particularly to means for limiting the rotation of handle bails used therewith.

My invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation;

Vl? ig. 2 is a plan view of part of my suction cleaner. y

Fig. 3 is a side elevation in modified form;

Fig. 4 is a plan View;

- Fig. 5 is a detail of a modification;

Like parts are indicated by like let-ters in all the drawings.

A is a suction cleaner casing with a suc tion nozzle A1, a discharge opening A2 and a dust receiving bag A3.

B is a handle bail communicating with the cleaner manipulating handle B1 and may be made in two parts as indicated; bound t0- gether by a sleeve B2 which clamps themto the end of the cleaner handle. The free ends of the bail are pivoted one of them upon the brackets B3 B3 on the casing A, the other Bl? is the handle bail stop. It is 'provided with an irregular elongated slot B" on one side of which are two adjacent hook members B8 B9. B10 is a pin projecting from the handle bail headed at each end and adapted to lie within the slot B7 to limit the movement of the handle bail. It will be understood that the stop rests by gravity on the pin and that the only way to get it out of the position shown in Fig. 1, is to lift it by engaging the pro-f ject-ing foot piece B11. When this is done, the handle may be moved down into a position where it does not rise above the top of the fan housing or it may be raised until it stands straight up. As soon, however, as the bail is moved back, it will drop down into the ositio'n shown in Fig. l when the excursion or rockin movement of the handle with respectrto t e cleaner is more or less limited as is necessary to permit adjustment shape and arrangement of parts without departing materially from the spirit of my invention, and I wish, therefore, that my drawings be regarded as 1n a sense diagramauatic.

Thehandle of a suction sweeper is under different circumstances supposed to be 1n a apparatus is out of use the handle should stand generally upright so as not to take up room. lVhen in that position the pin engages the forward end of the slot with the forward and resting against the end of the slot. When the apparatus is in normal use the operator holds the handle and this position is about that shown in Fig. l. As she swings her arm back and forth pushing the apparatus along the ioor, there will be slight changes in the height of her hand and these changes may take place between the limits imposed by the two hooks or hook surfaces in the upper wall of the slot. When it is desired to raise the nozzle above the floor, as for instance, in climbing `on a thick rug, the operator merely depresses the handle and because a rotational movement of the handle with 'respect to the housing is limited by the rearward of the two intermediate hooks, the housing will rotate about the rear supporting wheels and the nozzle will be raised. If for any reason such as for instance, to get at deep seated dirt in a thick rug or to pick up material from a smooth Hoor, it is desired to tilt the nozzle down, the operator raises up on the handle and as soon as 'the pin engages the forward of the two intermediate hooks, the rear wheels will be lifted from the ground and the nozzle depressed. If it is desiredl to clean under a bed or anything of that kind, the operator lifts up the latch and .allows `number of posit-ions. For storage when the y handle held upright and inclined slightly j the handle to swing to the rear until the pin with the handle substantially in line ,with

thel machine and projecting appreciably above it.

In Figs. 3 and -LL I have shown how the same general type of handle bail stop which I have illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 may be applied to a different form of suction sweeper.

C is a suction sweeper housing of the vertical motor type supported on rollers C1 C1. 'f

the slot is a pocket D3 having at'either end.

intermediate limiting hooks or surfaces D4 D5. At the lower end is a handle DG. \D7 is a pin projecting outwardly from the body of the casing into'the slot.

When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 3 the handle bail is permitted a certain limited movement between vthe full line position and a slightly raised position of the handle not shown to permit the usual rocking or rotating of the handle as the hand of the operator swings back and forth. When in the right hand dotted line position the upper end of the stop engages the pin and the handle is substantially on a level .with the top of the motor housing. If

you lift the handle, the weight of gravity will cause the pin to engage the intermediate stop pocket and you must attach thelittle trigger or handle on the end of the locking link and disengage the parts if you want to move the handle into the dotted line position shown on the left of the drawing.

The interesting thing about this arrangement is that although the stop plate extends down below the bottom of the fan housing, still the relation between it and the supporting wheels is such that no matter how you tip or displace the housing and no matter what the position of the stop is, you can never cause the stop itself to touch and be bent by the floor.

In order to protect the handle bail stop against any possible blow or bending, I provide in one form a special type of slot., that is the uppermost portion of the slot D1 is bent far to the rear as indicated in X so that when the handle is bent way down the handle stop yis bent way forward bringing it close up against the back of thecasing and thus the end of the stop is absolutely protected.

The use and operation of my invention are as followsz In my form ofy easing. the height of the machine `is so reduced that it may be run under beds, chairs, tables `and the like where ordinary machines cannot be run. In this connection the handle bail is a narrow rigid structure and it may be dropped down so as to fall completely down below the top of the machine. It is thns possible to run clear in under a bed without interference.

The latch or lock for limiting the movement of the handle bail is always in operation. IVhenlthe pin on the bail is at one end of the slot the handle will be held in a substantially horizontal position, when at the other end of the slot the handle will be held in Ya substantially vertical position. The horizontal position is used when cleaning under a bed or the like. The vertical position is used when storing the cleaner. The two' intermediate positions are immediately assumed when you rotate the handle from either one of the extreme positions. The weight of the stop causes it to drop down when it is released so that the hook members on the upper side of the slot come into opposition to the pin and thus limit the rotational movement of handle and hail with respect to the housing to that narrow movement which is desirable during the operation to permit the position of the handle to conform to or to change with the convenience of the operator.

I claim:

l. The combination with a tool and pivoted handle bail therefor .of a slotted stop plate pivoted on one and a part projecting from the other into the slot and means intermediate the ends of the slot for limiting the rotation of the handle bail the projecting part being always in engagement with the slot.

2. The combination with a tool and pivoted handle bail therefor of a slotted stop plate pivoted on one and a pin projecting from the other into the slot and means intermediate the endsof the slot for limiting the rotation of the handle bail the pin being always in engagement with the slot said means comprising pin engaging parts of the slot.

3. The combination with a tool and pivoted handle `'bail therefor of a slotted stop plate pivoted on one and a pin projecting -from the other into the slot and means intermediate the ends of the slot for limitling the rotation of the handle bail the pin being always in engagementv with the slot said means comprising pin engaging parts of the slotand adapted to drop into line with the pin under the influence of gravity.

4. The combination with a tool and pivoted handle bail therefor of means for limiting the movement of the handle bail when it is in a substantially vertical and in a substantially horizontal position and means for additionally limiting the movement of the handle bail betweenV intermediate limits between the vertical and the horizontal position.

5. The combination with a tool and lwhen it is in a substantially vertical and in a substantially horizontal'` position 'and means for additionally limiting' the movement of the handle bail between intermediate limits between the vertical and the horizontal position, said means comprising a pin onone member, a slotted pivoted plate on theother engaging the pin, and spaced pin engaging means intermediate the ends ofthe slot' the slot being so positioned with respect to the pin that the .ends of the slot limit the handle bail by their engagement with the pin at either end of its excursion and the pin engaging means in the slot intermediate its ends provide the intermediate limits to its excursion.

6. The combination with a tool and. pivoted handle bail therefor of unitary .means for limiting the motion of the .handle bail at its upper and at its lower position and for limiting'its excursion toa relatively narrow arc of movement intermediate both such positions.

.7. The Ycombination with a tool and. pivoted handle bail of a stop comprising. a slotted plate pivoted on one, a part extendv ing from the other into the slot, and stops opposed one to another and locatedon one side of the slot intermediate its ends. 8. The combination With a tool and pivoted handle bail of a stop comprising a slotted plate pivoted on one, a pin extending from the other into the slot, pin-engaging membersopposed one to another and located on one side of the slot intermediate its ends, said members being located on the side ofv the slot which lies farthest from the handle bail pivot point.

9. Thel f combination with a tool and pivoted handle bail of a stop comprising a slotted plate pivoted on one,l a pin extending from-the other into the slot, pin engaging members opposed one to another and lo,- cated on one side of the slot intermediateits end's, said members being located on the side of the slot which lies farthest from the handle bailpivot point and means for raising the plate to move the members out of f line with the pin. i

rase, the distance from the top of said slot to the bottom of said plate being less than the distance from the pin to the ioor so that no matter what the position of plate or case the stop plate can never touch the floor upon which the case rests.

l1. AThe combination with a handle bail and a case to which it is pivoted of a movable handle stop comprising a slotted late -pivoted on the bail, a pin projecting rom the case and in engagement with the slot, the pin beingat all times lower than the pivot point of the plate on the bail, the slot being provided with a part adapted to lock the handle against rotation in either direction-with respect to the case when the handle is in the vertical position.

l2. The combination. with a handle bail and a case to vwhich it is pivoted of a movable handle stop comprising a stop plate having ,a straight slot,`a'pin adapted to travel in the slot and a limiting pocket communicating with one side of the slot and having pin engaging surfaces at either end thereof intermediate the ends of the slot.

13. .The combination with a handle bail and a case `to which it is pivoted of a movable handle stop comprising a stop plate having ,a straight slot, la pin adapted to travel in the slot and a limiting pocket communicating with one side of the slot and havmg pin engaging surfaces at either end thereof intermediate the ends ofthe plate having a vgenerally s rjaight slot the uppermost portion of which'l is-sharply inclined to the rear, a pin adapted to travel in the slot, means removed from the rearwardly inclined portion of the slot for limiting movement of the handle, said inclination of the slot being adapted to cause the forward movement of the stop plate as the handle approaches its lowest position.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses, this 17th day of December, 1918.l

HOWARD EARL HOOVER.

Vitnesses MINNIE M. LINDENAU, MARION L. INGRAHAM. 

